The River Below
by buggirl101
Summary: His red eyes gleamed. It's said that murderers have a defect in the brain...could L have caused this one? Beyond Birthday had just escaped, and he's out for blood. After all, it's sweeter the jam. Rated M for blood, gore, language, and torture.
1. The Escape

Hello all! ^^ It's about time I got off my butt and actually started another fanfic. This entire story was based off the song The River Below by Billy Talent. (Which is practically B's theme song.) Anyway, After first hearing the song and really listening to the song, I found that it sorta told a story. So, I decided to run with the idea.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If you believe otherwise, you're crazier then B.

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_I'm sick and I'm twisted_

_I'm broke and you can't fix it_

_Don't make me cause, Ill do it._

_ - River Below, Billy Talent_

Prisoner # 61035658 of the California State Penitentiary laid his head back and chuckled. Why was he in such a good mood? he had just escaped said Hell-hole, and managed to get a ticket to Tokyo, Japan all in the same day. Quite a feat, for most people. But you see, Prisoner # 61035658 wasn't by any means a normal person. He was the man that would bring the world's greatest detective to his knees...and eventually...his murder.

He frowned when he felt a unwelcomed visitor standing beside him. "Do you need anything sirs?" A rather small flight attendant asked him and the 2 men sitting beside him. The other two replied with petty things. He looked away from the young woman, to glance above the two men's heads. _Blythe Howard _stood above the one closest to him, while the other had _Dante Gibbs_, scrawled in glowing red letters above his head, along with a series of numbers that were lowering in random patterns. He looked away, feeling light-headed from the sudden range of math he had just done. In the prison, he had no visitors, no signs of human life at all. Meaning that he had a lack of practice in the art. So, the man had only a few hours left. At this rate...he'd die after exiting the plane. His thoughts then drifted to what he had planned for the future to hold. A very welcoming darkness enveloped him, one that wouldn't end in a nightmare-ish failure.

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L sighed giving a oblivious Matsuda a withering glare. "Light. Please explain it again, he still doesn't get it." Light rolled his eyes, and glared at the famed detective. "Ryuzaki." Watari's voice interrupted what argument was about to stir. "Yes Watari?" Watari gave a frustrated sigh. "There's a slight problem. Ryuzaki...you remember Rue don't you?" L froze. "What about him?" "...H-he's escaped from prison. And...the police in America believe that he's headed here." "Yes. That seems to be the most obvious thing for him to do. I was afraid he'd do something like this. Watari. Please keep all security cameras on at all times." "I certainly will."

L sighed. His life had just went from 'in danger' to 'dying within days'. But, something didn't make any sense. Why was B being so easy to track? The B he had known was leading everyone and nearly himself in circles. "R-Ryuzaki?" Matsuda'svoice broke him out of his reverie. "Well, I suppose I should tell you all. But, you're all in danger of being killed, including myself."

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OKAY! Annnndddd DONE! XD This is just chapter one. I'm currently writing on more. But remember...reveiws give you more chappies! (If I get 2, TWO, reveiws I'll post another chapter.)


	2. The first kill

Okay! I'm back, and I would like to thank my first reviewers, chibi-eru and LizluvsSpongebob! You both get You get you're choice of B's jam, or L's cookies. XD Anyway, a warning. There IS mention of CANNIBALISM. Don't like...don't read. Like I said, it's slow going, but it's going to be M rated in a few short chapters.

Disclaimer: I definitly don't own Death Note, or B. If I DID B wouldn't of been killed by Light. Cause...B pawns Light on the 'who's worse?' scale.

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_Rejected since day one_

_My name is...bastard son_

_I've been damned so many times I've lost count_

_- River Below, Billy Talent_

Beyond smiled as he stretched, hearing a few pops run along his spine. He looked around what many people call a amazing sight. Tokyo. That name means differant things to differant people. To this man however, it meant vengance. Beyond, honestly couldn't remember when he had gone from adoring L, to hating him. His main goal now wasn't to be a better L, it was to destroy L. To watch him writhe in agony before his heart stopped beating. His eyes gleamed in anticipation.

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Beyond leaned forward from his momentary 'resting' place. A small fire escape on a alley. He could hear and see anyone who walked by. A good spot he had decided. He smirked as two voices floated to his ear. They were whispering, obviously trying to hide what was going on. _"Kira.." _Was the only word he heard. He gritted his teeth. If there was anyone he hated other then L and Naomi Misora, it would be Kira. Why? You may ask. He hated cowards, and Kira was the most cowardly person he had ever heard of. People were stupid enough to WORSHIP him, when he didn't even kill with his own hands. It disgusted Beyond. He silently vowed to find and kill Kira as well.

He glanced over his outfit loosely. He had managed to pick-pocket a wallet off some poor soul and used the credit card to buy a outfit. After all, how would he look getting onto a plane in a prisoner's uniform? Or a bloody white shirt? He would be right back where he started. Now...for his plan to fully work, he would need to find out some information. He stood, carefully climbing the fire escape, before landing on the ground using a hand streached out to balance himself. The dull whack of him landing caused the two people who he had heard before to whip around. One seemed to be getting more and more pissed by the second...if the color of his face was anything to go by. "Were you spying on us?" He stormed forward getting out a switchblade. A crimminal then, Beyond summed up. "You little shit." With that the man, who's numbers were quickly running out, lunged forward pulling the knife backwards and slashing. Beyond took a single step back, holding out his arm. _Drip._ Beyond turned his arm around to stare at the cut, which was bleeding profoundly. B smiled. "Is that really the best you have?" He questioned the man. "You don't have any control, or will. You'll never kill anyone like that." Beyond lifted his arm up and licked a trail of blood. The man took staggered backwards his face turning from deep red to a slight green. The other man whispered, "oh god..." And with that, ran. "Where the hell do you thi.." Beyond ran forward, whirling around the man grabbing the switchblade, and held it againest his throat. Beyond closed his eyes and listened as the man's breathing quickened. He smiled, glancing up at his name and 'clock'. It was at 10 seconds now. With that he laughed and dug the knife deep within the man's thoat, the blood gushed almost immideatly. 2..1..and with that the name, dissappeared. Beyond dropped the body turning it around so it faced upwards. Beyond watched the blood still flow in gentle rivers. He reached his hand forward, shaking in anticipation. Beyond stared for a moment, contiplating what he was about to do. Cannibal-ism was just something to add to brand him a freak. He smiled and dug both of his hands into the wound.

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The dark room was only lit by a row of computers the screens glowing. Furious tapping noises could be heard, and the signature crunch of a cookie being eaten. L sat in frount of the computers, typing and thinking. He just couldn't understand a few differant things. One, how he could of been wrong about Light being Kira. And two, Beyond Birthday. Why on earth was he doing exactly what everyone was expecting him too? He glared at the screen to his far left, on the screen was Beyond's crimminal record. The others? B, Kira, B, Kira...this pattern was starting to emerge. L sighed, momentairly stopping in his typing. He froze, he had realized something. He took another cookie, quickly ate it and threw himself into the work. He needed to wait a few more hours before he could contact the police in California. Before he could find out if he was right. And he prayed that he wasn't.

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Okay...for those of you wondering...when is L acually going to DO something. It won't be too long at all. XD I've acually been trying to get those of you reading a look into B's mind, if you will. This story IS centered around B after all. Anyway, Reveiws=Chapters. Remember that.


	3. The Message

Hello again! Here's another chapter. I'm sorry it's a bit like a filler chapter. I'll start working on more chapters soon though!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Another Note. Things would be differant if I did.

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_Devices...Master Plan_

_Bi-Polar with a mental side_

_- River Below, Billy Talent_

L, also known as Ryuzaki, sighed, and rubbed his temples. The entire Kira investgation team was on edge. They had been trying to get L to tell them more about this, 'murderer' but so far, they haven't got him to say anything! It was irritating. Light was the most irritated out of them all.

Who would possibly be so horrifying, that it would bring L to not even talk about it. Who scared L, more then he as Kira, could even HOPE to do? He cursed whoever this 'Rue' was. He was ruining Light's pride as Kira. He glared at the computer screen in frount of him.

Watari's voice echoed from a small speaker set to L's side. " Ryuzaki. I was just sent a report, a body was found this morning...it might interest you." L nodded. "Sent it then." After a few seconds a few pictures showed up on the screen. L let out a frustrated sigh. He glanced at the group. "So, what do you make of this?"

Each of them after a few minetes of shock, and throwing up on Matsuda's part, they all gave their opinions on the grusome scene. Blood was spattered everywhere, and a man's body was laying in the center of the alley-way. His throat had been gorged out, by human hands by the looks of it, and a large _L...remember me?_ was scrawled in blood across one of the building walls.

Light was even surprised. Whoever did this wasn't in their right mind. He was saying this, and he was Kira! L nodded. "Well, you are all part-way right, however, you missed one small thing. None of you mentioned about the thoat. Notice the way it's ripped?" L glared at the photo, a clear image of the look-alike burned into the front of his mind. "**HE** ripped this man's thoat out with his hands, the nail marks are clear on the edges. The victim was missing a few arteries..._damn it."_ L hissed slightly. "You've moved so low to become a cannibal?"

Light stared at L. _Cannibal_? That was...freakish. Whoever Rue was...Kira was killing him.

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Beyond smiled. He was currently sitting in a Library, on a computer to be exact. He typed a few things. And the screen blacked out. He leaned back in his seat. He had nearly forgotten how much he really owed Quillish. After all, it was thanks to the old man, he was tought how to hack in the first place.

Afetr a few seconds the screen lite up, a small password query popped up and filled itself in. His smile widened, so easy. And THIS was the police? What a joke. Justice, peace, the law...it was all a joke and a lie. It was so easy to break. The law was broken by more people then who acually obeyed it. B cracked his knuckles, and left said, library.

He folded the small paper, he had scrawled a address on. He laughed, a laugh that if you had ever heard it...reminded you of a shinigami. He continued down the street a new plan had already formed in his mind. He had told L at one point a long time ago, when he was STILL Backup. That he WAS L, and you couldn't escape yourself. He was going to take his own words, and put them to good use. L would be just as insane as he was when B was done with him.


	4. The Confrontation

Hello all! So, here's another chapter of The River Below...god, I didn't expect this story to go so far. Thanks everyone for replying, faving, and placing this under alerts! YOU all make this story happen! XD

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Beyond looked up at the building. So...this was the NPA Headquarters? He smirked. He was so close to finally achiving his goal. One small sneak into this building, one glance at the right address, and L was as good as his. B walked around the preimiter of the building, memorizing the angle of the cameras, and where they were. He twisted his neck hearing a loud crack. All he had to do was wait until nightfall.

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B sighed, closing one drawer in a filing cabinet. And switching to another filing cabinet. He was slowly getting annoyed. He had been through 5 of those floor-to-ceiling cabinets and NOTHING! "Finally." He whispered, as he pulled a single peice of paper out of the drawer. He grinned insanely and pocketed it. It was finally time. He was ready.

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L sighed. After the dead body...there was absolutely no sign of B being anywhere. Which was worrying him. Light and Aizawa was trying to explain something to Matsuda. While Mogi and Sochiro was watching amused. At this time of night, none of them acually worked anyway. It was somewhere around 2 in the morning. L blinked, when the computer screen he had been watching flicked out. A few seconds later, all the electricity went out.

Light groaned. Sochiro shook his head. " A Breaker probly went went out. Ryuzaki, where is the breaker box?" L stared for a second, something clicked. He stood up, chewing on his thumb in a typical manner. " I'll show you, it's a rather confusing to get there." Just like L had thought, Light wanted to come along. After a few minetes of walking down what seemed to be a endless hallway, L opened a door, showing, a small series of stairs. They all walked down, L stopping momentairily, to glance behind him.

"Raito, Yagami-san, stay close." He walked into the room. Four Generators stood in the room, a few large breaker boxes stood on the other wall. Ryuzaki slowed his footsteps, stepping lightly. He walked around the edge of one of the gererators. And blinked. It had been unplugged. He could hear Light and Sochiro talking.

Followed by a, "Ryuzaki! It was manually turned off." He had unconsiously wrapped his hand around the plug. He felt a slight warmness. He glanced down, his eyes widenening. A pale, red scarred hand was wrapped around his wrist. He was yanked forward another scarred hand wrapping around his mouth.

" Hello, Lawliet." A hoarse voice whispered to him. The electricity was now on, so, the hum blocked the Yagami's from hearing anything. L was yanked up slightly, so he could see a face. Those chrimson red eyes were unmistakeable. Beyond Birthday.

Beyond had scars everywhere, differant shades of red adorned any skin visible. "Do you remember what I said when I first met you?"

L smiled slightly, and closed his eyes. A sing that he wasn't going to do anything. Beyond gritted his teeth. How dare he! Beyond hadn't really planned L being so...defiant. He was just going to have to use force.

Beyond tightened his grip on L's wrist, and turned it. L winced. "Answer me!" B hissed as loud as he dared to with the other two still in the room.

L sighed. B's eyes widened when he felt the warm breath againest his hand. L was breathing. Beyond felt his heart start to race. " N-no. I can't say that I do." B glared at the famed detective.

"Then, I'll MAKE you remember. Does, 'You can't escape yourself?' ring a bell?" L stared. What did that have to do with anything? B bent forward. " Now, that you've seen me, you'll see me everytime you see yourself." L attempted to shake his head. B HAD lost his mind.

B chuckled. " After all, this is your fault." B whispered, before tightening his grip one last time to before letting go, and sneaking off.

L stared, and rubbed his wrist lightly. A hand shaped red mark stood againest his skin. He stood up, pulling his shirt sleeve down in a vain attempt to hind the soon-to-be bruise. He took a deep breath, and stood up. He walked out from behind the generator, walking past Light who had said something, and headed up the stairs, to Watari's room. There wasn't much that scared him. But B...had started to.


	5. The Attack

L sighed, getting up from his position in his typical chair, the large screen used for the entire task force's viewing had gone out. As much as he hated going down to the switchboard room…he had to.

After walking down a few flights of stairs his mind began to wonder. Finally with some time alone it seemed he could think about the Kira case better. It was true; he thought that Light was Kira. But the question remained. How could he PROVE it?

He thought for quite a few minutes on the subject... Bad mistake.

He was yanked into a room to his left, and felt a wet-cloth being pushed against his face hard. L reached up, struggling to rip the hands off his face, managing to let out a strangled " B?!" Said man cackled.

L realized with horror that B was in someone else's grip, obviously unconscious. His mind stopped working after that; he froze in place.

The scruffy looking blond haired man grinned, dropping B to the ground.

"Now…" The man said between some chuckles, "…time for my second act." The man walked, more like pranced in L's opinion, towards him getting out a knife.

The blonde grabbed L's chin yanking his head upwards before stabbing the knife directly into his side. L simply let out a small grunt of pain; somehow his pain tolerance was quite amazing.

The knife was drug downward, making a large line of blood stain the snow-white shirt. He took the knife out turning it and stabbing it back in place. L's hand simply twitched.

Hizaki drug the knife sideways across L's stomach. His hand clenched, as the knife was removed. Hizaki threw the knife to the ground, scooped up B's unconscious body and ran for it.

B's eyes fluttered open as he saw hallways blurring past, and he smiled. His plan was working flawlessly.


	6. The new Tenants

Hello, all! It's been awhile since I added a chapter to this fic. I apologize. School had me busy, but I'm done for now so, I should be able to post more chapters now. ^^ I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note I do however own Hizaki and any other person you don't recognize.

I've experiments to run,

Research to be done,

On people who are still alive

-Still Alive by Portal

On the third floor in room 1313 of the Kana Side apartment complex a black-haired man with burn scars coating his body woke up from a drug-induced sleep. He yawned, stretching and begins to pace the floor waiting for his accomplice to return.

Meanwhile on the first floor of the complex the accomplice the man in room 1313 was waiting for, was trying his hardest not to strangle the teen-age girl stopping him from going in the elevator.

The girl had wavy brown hair, which was pulled back in a fashionable style with a skull-and-crossbones clip on the side. Her Forest-green eyes were staring up at him through a pair of blood red rimmed glasses. She wore a red and black-striped sweater, with a pair of dark washed blue-jeans and a plush-cat backpack that had been ripped and dyed in an industrial-style.

"So…" She began happily; she had a light airy voice that held a teasing tone to it. "…you're one of the new tenants right? Room 1313?" It was obvious that she wasn't Japanese, most likely an American from the slight accent.

Hizaki sighed, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "Yeah, I am kid. Now can you move?" He attempted to side-step around her, but she stepped with him. "Really cool. It's nice to meet you. I'm Lisa Ballad the Super's daughter. So don't ever make me mad, kay?" She replied with a wink. She giggled and stepped out of the way.

Hizaki flew into the elevator hitting the 3rd button. Lisa waved as the door shut before she shrugged and turned around walking down the hallway and entering through a mostly unnoticeable door.

"Dad?" She called out, shutting the door and locking it with 7 different locks. "You in here?" An airy male voice replied from the very back of the apartment, "I'm in the lab, Lisa."

Lisa pulled off her backpack, walking down a hallway past the kitchenette, living room and two bedrooms before coming upon a small closet sized room behind a door painted to look like the wall. She stepped in glancing at her father.

He was wearing a set of scrubs with a breathing-mask over his face, large rubber-gloves hid his hands and a hairnet hid his hair. All in all, he looked like a surgeon. "New serum dad?" She questioned slightly. He nodded never taking his eyes off the mixture he was creating in a series of beakers. "Did you do that favor for me, sweetheart?" He asked back, slowly pouring a clear gel-like liquid into a beaker filled with white powder.

"Yeah I checked out one of the new tenants. That blonde-guy, what was his name again…" "Hizaki." Her dad filled in. "Yeah…Hizaki. He's off, seemed like he was in a hurry too. Sorta had an annoyed 'I wanna kill you' look on his face. There's definitely something about him. I'm guessing his friend is the same way."

Her father nodded, showing that he had heard her. He placed a syringe in the beaker, putting the grey substance into it, and capped it placing it in a back pocket. He removed the face-mask showing that he had a clean-shaven face. He was pale, but not too pale that it would look strange.

His light blue eyes didn't stand out behind his glasses, nor did his light-brown hair. In essence he was a average looking American male.

He exited the room with his daughter, walking her to the door and opening it. "Well then, let's go give our new tenants a visit then." The girl grinned, before asking out loud. "Hey dad? Are they gonna be 14 and 15?" He glanced down at her before replying. "They just might, Lisa. At least that Hizaki fellow will be a challenge. I'm not sure about the other. I've never seen him. "

After the elevator ride up, they knocked on the door labeled 1313. Inside, Hizaki cursed, running to the kitchenette attempting to pour bleach down the sink that a bloody shirt lay in. B growled before changing his entire personality. He took the few steps to the door and opened it.

The man smiled. "Afternoon. Um, I'm sorry to bother you; we've gotten a tenant that smelt something awful in here. Is there a rotten piece of meat or something to that extent here?" B shook his head no. Lisa stared at the man in the door. "Scars…" She murmured slightly. B glanced down at her before smirking.

The brown-haired man, James took notice. Something familiar clicked in his mind. "I'm the superintendent, James Ballad. It's nice to meet you…Mr.…?" B's eyes shot up to meet James'. 'This man….ah. I see now, clever Mr. Ballad, Clever.' "I'm Rue Ryuzaki; it's a pleaser Mr. Ballad. Please, come in."

Hizaki's eyes widened. What the hell was B doing?! He hadn't fully cleaned the shirt yet! If that guy and the brat saw they'd be in prison he knew it. Sure enough after that thought struck his mind, James Ballad took notice.

"Why on earth is that shirt bloody?" He asked his voice was cold and held the same airy tone which made him sound dangerous. Lisa stuck her tongue out at B, reaching unnoticed into her father's pocket getting the syringe. Hizaki attempted to make up and excuse while James raised an eyebrow.

Lisa watched as B reached for a weighted dirty bag. And…she reacted. Lisa screamed as she lunged at B, uncapping the syringe and attempting to stab him with it, he dodged trying to hit her with the make-shift blackjack. She fell to the floor effectively dodging it.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" James yelled, his voice boomed throughout the room effectively putting the fight to an end. Lisa let out a whine of, "Dad…" "You are in serious trouble, Lisa Dahlia. Attacking without provocation…I taught you better. Now, the syringe please, Lisa." The girl growled angrily, slamming the object into her father's open palm. "He moved first." She grumbled.

James reached up smoothing his hair down with a sigh. "I'm terribly sorry. My daughter acts without thinking. Forgive and forget then? After all, we are of the same breed." B chuckled while Hizaki merely looked on with confusion.

"Ah…" B began slowly stepping forward holding out his hand for James to shake. "…You have a strong daughter Mr. Ballad. I'm Beyond Birthday of the murders, and you?" James returned the handshake. "Thank you for the compliment Mr. Birthday. I'm James Ballad of the Atlantian Inventor killings." Hizaki and Lisa gawked at the two's confessions. ""Huh?"" They both asked at the same time.

Well, I believe that will be all for this chapter. The next chapter will center on L. Anyways, you know the drill, R&R=Chapters. Thank you.


	7. The Damnation

Hi all! I'm back for another heart-warming chapter of River Below. (Total sarcasm by the way.)

Anyway, Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Thanks.

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_Disect me til' my blood runs down into the drain_

_My bitter heart is pumping oil into my veins_

_I'm nothing but a tinman_

_-Rusted from the Rain, Billy Talent_

The first thing L noticed when he woke up was the washed out ceiling and blinding lights attached. Not seconds after he realized why he was in a hospital, what had happened, and who he blamed for it.

He sighed wearily. What in the hell was that idiot thinking? This was nearly as bad as when he had sent him that little girl's eyes in a wrapped box. Along with a tape recorder that simply stated, " Do I scare you? Kekekeke. " It was clear that Beyond Birthday was now certifiably insane. If he wasn't already insane of coarse.

Now came the question that had him stumped. Why hadn't KIRA killed B yet? Surely a criminal in a psychopathic state would catch and hold KIRA's attention.

His mental wondering stopped. Wait…."WATARIII!" The aging man flew into the room. You see, L had a phobia of hospitals. To see him in a hospital was considered a miracle.

"Ryuzaki. It's alright. They had to put you into surgery, you have 84 stitches in total, 24 inside and 60 outside." L grimaced, that meant having to come back to get the stitches taken OUT.

…Bugger.

Just lovely. Watari chuckled. He was able to tell what his charge was thinking. The man was far too simple to read when it came to hospitals. Or sweets for that matter.

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Beyond Birthday hissed in pain as he slipped cautiously into the bathtub. Due to his…condition he couldn't shower like the average person. And still, just moving could cause immense pain.

He had been told it was because of the way his skin had burned. The gasoline he had dowsed himself with had inevitably become the bane of his existence. Even worse…the strength of the flames had made almost permanent wounds. They would open at random usually causing intense bleeding.

He hated it. He hated it with a passion. You see, in his warped mind, L was the one to blame for his condition. Not himself…L.

It always ended up being linked to L in some way. No matter who died, or lived…it was L's fault.

Personally B wondered why the things had happened like they did. Why did A hang himself? Surely A had realized L wasn't a god. But…maybe he didn't. Maybe, he had thought the way that he himself thought.

L was indeed a god. A god of hate, misery, and knowledge. Yes, B thought. That is exactly what L was. " Another spot's on your neck." A voice broke him from his thoughts. He reached back tenderly to feel his neck. And lo and behold, he could feel a large rip in his own skin.

He bit his lip. Damn L. The man the voice belonged to; reached down and grabbed a can of sterilizer. " Hang on." Hizaki said sternly much like a mother would with a child.

And he pressed the nozzle. B screaming as a burning pain ripped through his neck giving him a intense and sudden headache.

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James Ballad glanced up interestingly as he heard the yowling scream. His daughter was sitting in the floor a set of overly large headphones hid most of her head. She was humming and slapping her knees to some strange rhythm.

The 'locked room murderer' had gone to take a bath. Apparently a very long and taxing job. Hizaki had gone to help the man…a strange thing that his daughter chose to comment on.

"Dad…are you sure they're not gay lovers or something?" "Lisa!" He replied back sternly. "What?" She whined back. "That's enough. Obviously the burns have something to do with it. Where's your brain?"

Lisa grinned. "In a jar back on the first floor why?" He chuckled, expecting a reply of that nature. And with that the two settled into a content silence.


	8. The Examination of Beyond Birthday

Hello all! Another chapter's here! Celebrate! *Throws confetti into the air* No? Oh, well. Anyway, I've made some religous terms known here. Thanks. Yeah...watch out for those. I'm going to be throwing ALOT of them in this fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Just any characters you don't know.

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In the Kana Side Apartment complex room 1313…was empty. The residents thought it was strange. That the room 1313 who their superintendent had being spending most of his time with was gone. It was also very strange that the superintendent decided to take his daughter on a trip to England the same time.

All in all the residents gossiped about living so near a handicapped person. How did they know this? Resident 1312 had gone to the super when a particularly loud scream woke them one night. Mr. Ballad assured them that nothing was wrong.

He explained that one of the residents in room 1313 had survived a fire a couple of years earlier and still had serious injuries. They all sympathized with the burnt man despite never meeting him personally.

He didn't come out of the room much at all, and when he did he was so covered with hoodies and other things that no one ever saw the burns themselves. But they didn't blame him for hiding those burns must look dreadful.

Meanwhile in London, England James Ballad and his daughter Lisa were enjoying a nice weekend getaway to a 'superintendent convention'. Well, they would if such a thing existed.

You see, this 'normal' single man and daughter were in fact participating in a plot that would have any normal person calling the police.

They were plotting a er…'kidnapping'. Well, it really wasn't a kidnapping if the kid came willingly, which they were hoping he would. A 'close friend' by the name of Beyond Birthday had finally asked them for help.

After nearly a week of hanging around that crazy man they could finally do something worthwhile. James Ballad thought it was outrageous. But, if it meant being able to study the estranged mind that belonged to Beyond then…it was very worthwhile.

He was a man of discovery. And he had never seen nor heard of any type of mental disease that exhibited the same symptoms that Beyond had. Beyond was special, maybe even with a new type of mental disorder.

The man truly believed himself to be of some otherworldly decent. He hadn't been told much; just what he's overheard. Beyond kept his mental condition quite a secret.

It annoyed James to no end. Lisa couldn't care less, as long as she had her dad, she didn't care at all. So, James tried to recall what he overheard. Maybe if he thought about it longer he could make sense of it.

He recalled going into 1313, he had a skeleton key that fit all doors it was HIS building after all. And he could hear Hizaki, another 'friend' of Beyond's, talking. Hizaki was a strange man; he never really had much to say at all.

And he often looked at Beyond like he was staring at some god, or king maybe. James summed it up to devotion, a type of brainwashing done by Beyond himself. That was fine, he didn't care about Hizaki.

The man started out loudly not realizing that he was there. " Beyond-sama, I still don't quite understand…the new morning star? I thought YOU were the morning star?" He could hear B sighing in aggravation.

"Hizaki, I've told you nearly a hundred times, I AM his bright and morning star. But he replaced me with a child. I will admit this child certainly looks holy. He acts it as well, never doing anything wrong. But he won't overpower me, no. I'll kill the brat before that."

Hizaki spoke yet again, confusion still evident in his deep voice. " Then…you do plan to kill that kid?" B answered. "No. Certainly not…I won't make HIS mistake, I'll allow this child to live. But I'm certain that he's easy to manipulate. I'll talk to him, coax him away from L. He'll fall apart at the thought of his 'precious child' being smitten with me instead." He had spit out the words "Precious Child" like a curse.

His voice was shaking slightly throughout his speech obvious insanity lacing itself in his already cracked voice. James had snuck away after that. He now knew at least something about the 'Locked room murderer'.

He had studied every type of thing he could, to find out what Beyond had been talking about. To his surprise it had been one of those Christians singing a type of hymn to attract 'sinners' to listen. They had said the words 'Morning star'!

He chased them down asking them everything he could about those words. They said that Morning Star was one of the many names given to Christ.

So, Beyond was comparing himself and some child-offspring of the detective L's to Jesus Christ? That certainly didn't make any sense what so ever. He attributed it to insanity, and planned on studying him some more to understand what this new type was.

And it would be fun to see if a insane man could manipulate someone. If he could…then that would be a breakthrough on discovering what exactly was wrong with Beyond Birthday.

It had been 3 days. And the Ballads were finally back home in Japan. Exhausted they spoke lightly to some of the residents who were in the main lobby before retiring to their rooms.

Later on that night Beyond and Hizaki returned as well. Carrying an extra load that they certainly didn't have when leaving.

Resident 1312 swore that he saw the blonde man and covered man walking a small child back to their room. It was late and honestly he wondered if the child was Hizaki's or the burnt man's. He'd hang around tomorrow and ask Hizaki when he came down to get breakfast.

Most of the residents knew the blonde man. He didn't talk much, had a very gruff and deep voice, and exited the room only to buy things for his comrade…er…the believed to be comrade.

Some of the women gossiped that Hizaki and the man were gay lovers, something that Lisa Ballad herself let slip to the curious woman in 1212.

Others swore that Hizaki was simply a caring friend who had let the scarred man live with him seeing as how he lost his family in the fire.

1312 swore that the latter was true. But hey, if some guy wants to 'shack-up' with a crispy nugget then…he honestly didn't believe that someone actually would…but there's some strange things in the world.

For now, he was going to go to bed. He had to set his clock for an extra hour early…after all, he did want to ask whose child that was.

* * *

The Kira task force was having a fairly calm day. L had gotten the stitches removed the day before and was practically in the happiest mood they had ever seen on a person before.

He hummed English songs to himself, and sat in his normal odd position. Something that he hadn't been able to do for a week which had them all ready to strangle him over his whiney-ness. He ate piles of cake and tea-laced sugar. The day was calm, something that they were all thankful for.

Especially Light Yagami. He was sick of L, and having him 'normal' again was a relief. At least until he was gone for good, then he'd be even more relieved.

The phone rang. The dense atmosphere you would believe to happen never did. L continued to slurp his sugary-mass that happened to taste only slightly like tea, Matsuda was exasperated trying to figure out a riddle that Sochiro had given him while the few other members snickered at their co-worker's stupidness.

Watari answered the phone thinking nothing of it; after all, what could possibly be wrong at this hour of the night? "Yes?" He answered, thinking that Kira had killed yet nearly another jail-ful of prisoners. Only to be shocked when he heard his old friend's worn out voice sounding very frantic.

"Quillish!" Watari stiffened. If Roger was using THAT name then…"Yes? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly. The team looked up, it wasn't like Watari to be worried.

"Yes, calm down. I'm sure that Me…" He stopped obviously being interrupted. "It's not Mello? The who on earth would…" The person on the other line said something and Watari gasped. He nodded solemnly before hanging the phone up.

He gazed at Ryuzaki, his eyes were surprisingly crestfallen, he finally spoke his voice sounding much older then it had been. "Ryuzaki…I'm afraid that was Roger."

L looked confused. "Roger? At this hour?" Watari paused thinking of a way to say this without letting the others know anything personal. " He found your son's bed empty. He's still searching but so far it seems like he's ran away."

Ryuzaki's eyes widened after a few moments, as he understood the man's words. " Ran away…that's not like him…why on earth?" Watari shook his head, "I haven't the foggiest."

Light craned his neck slightly to see L's face. He looked…guilty. Sochiro saw it too. That guilty look, it almost seemed like L had witnessed the same thing before. Sochiro knew that if that call had been about HIS son he would be frantic to find his little boy.

Matsuda even seemed to understand the seriousness of what happened. "R-ryuzaki?" He questioned lightly. L looked back up, obviously his mind had been somewhere else.

"Sorry." He apologized lightly, his voice not completely there. "This is a personal matter, so don't worry. He isn't the type to run away, I'm sure Roger will find him soon. That man overreacts to everything maybe I should ask someone else to watch him when I'm gone." He murmered more to himself then to the task force. They all nodded or responded in some way most telling him that they're sure he'll be found soon.

And so the Kira case began getting revised again, L throwing himself into his work more then normal.

* * *

Alrighty! So...please R & R! Thank you for reading. ^^


	9. The Box

Hello all! Here's another riveting chapter of River Below! Now, I know that I haven't included anything ultra violent or 'OMG!' worthy for a while.

That's changed.

Anyway, this chapter's dedicated to my good friend CandlelightChaos28. The idea for the next few chapters was her idea, so, it's only natural for me to dedicate it to her. Hope you enjoy it, girl!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Another Note. CandlelightChaos28 thought up the main theme and plotline for the next few chapters. The idea is used with her permission, and hopefully it lives up to expectations.

On to the chapter then!

* * *

Hizaki and Lisa had just entered room 1313. Hizaki had been sent out to grab Beyond his, what Lisa thought was disgusting, Strawberry Jam.

James had urged Lisa to pull their kidnapped child hostage out into the complex's courtyard, telling her that she needed sunlight and fresh air. Being a teenager in modern times…she protested. But, with a final loud "Lisa Dahlia!" she grudgingly took the child and after slathering his face in sunscreen took him outside.

Lisa Ballad was a teen. Being a teen meant that she had friends, schoolwork, and a curiosity that wouldn't quit.

Unlike her father, Beyond Birthday didn't interest her. Hizaki on the other hand did. He followed Beyond much like a 'follower of Justice' followed Kira. She was curious as to why.

Beyond was creepy, dull looking, and from what little she heard of his 'oh so famous' murders they weren't anything overly special. To be blunt…she thought him to be boring.

So, being bored herself she gave the albino-child to Hizaki and hunted down her father and Beyond. To her surprise Beyond was hovering over her father's shoulder, watching him work on a very familiar solution.

"You're making Clause Maven's formula, really?" Her father nodded at her question. "Of coarse, nothing better for a crime scene." She walked over giving Beyond an annoyed look. "What crime scene are we talking about? Anything I can help with?" Beyond interrupted, "Actually yes."

She sent him a heavy glare. "Grab the sharpest knife in that kitchen and start tearing." With that order he tossed her the albino-child's white pajama top. It was slightly too big for him, and Beyond had used this excuse to get Hizaki to get the boy some clothes.

Lisa didn't question Beyond. She simply left to do what she was told. After all, if her dad was using Clause Maven's Formula…then there was lots of big fun in store.

* * *

It was right around 8am when Watari finally got to sit back down and watch the surveillance monitors. He had been busy getting coffee and other such breakfast things for the freshly awakened Task Force.

He then began his regime of glancing from monitor to monitor making sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

The screen flicked to the main entrance, and he narrowed his eyes, squinting to see what that thing was. It looked like a box, or container of some sort.

He was expecting this; he had ordered L some specialty cake from a famed bakery the day before. So, knowing exactly what it was he got up to go get it.

By the time he got there he discovered a second box sitting next to it. Now he became suspicious. He had only ordered one cake he was certain of it, still, the box was open.

He carefully stepped up to it, after all you never know if it's a bomb or the like, and peered into it.

Only one thought struck his mind as he stared. 'Forget the cake. This is far more important!' And with his mind made up, despite knowing that L would not like this at all, picked up the box and hurried back upstairs to give L what was probably the worst news he had heard of since the name Kira.

* * *

The Task Force had just began to get to work, some were lightly joking about odd dreams they had or whatever, small talk just to wake the other person up.

Watari had entered the overly large room in which they all worked, nothing new. He held a box that probably contained some confectionary for L to devour.

However, when he made his way to L and whispered something to him he had stopped in his motions of sipping a sugar-laced tea. L then spoke, "Are you positive it's from him?" Watari nodded in response.

After simply glancing in, the calm and slightly weird L that they had worked with for months disappeared in an instant.

In that L's place was a furious man who looked and sounded like he was ready to rip someone or something apart. In this fury he had broken the handle on the teacup he had been holding.

Watari placed the box on a table, drawing a deep calming breath. "Is there anything else in it?"

Watari replied, "I don't know, I haven't checked. Do you want me to?" His voice was filled with warning, telling L; it might not be what he wants to know. L nodded anyway.

At this point the Task Force was curious, Light above all others was. What had made L so mad?

With L's permission, Watari carefully pulled out what looked to be once a collared shirt. After looking at it for a short moment Light realized something.

One: The shirt was originally white, but was so torn and stained with blood it was a distorted reddish-black. Two: It was so small it had to belong to a child.

The others realized what it was, mere moments after it had hit him.

Watari had placed the shirt on his arm, using the other to grab a piece of paper out of the box. He handed the paper to L, who read it quickly his eyes filling with anger once again.

The paper read only a simply but riddle-filled statement,

_ L,_

_The rest of him is somewhere else._

_Remember 1313 is the place he'll be._

_Poor little child might not last long._

_He might still be bleeding but don't take your time._

_After all, I'm very impatient._

_-B_


End file.
